Malcolm X
Born: May 19, 1925
Died: February 25, 1965
Black Civil Rights/Human Rights
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was an avid supporter of Black Nationalism and Marcus Garvey. He was murdered supposedly by the KKK and soon after Malcolm's mother went crazy and he was placed in the foster care system. In school he was told his dream of becoming a lawyer was "not a realistic goal for a ni**er" .He dropped out of school and began working odd jobs between Boston and New York. Eventually, he began commiting small crimes and went to jail where he learned about Islam. After getting out of jail, he began to follow the teachings of Elijah Muhammad who said that the white people were trying to keep the blacks from having economic or political success. He changed his lastname to "X" to shed the name his family was given as slaves and chose "X" to show how his real lastname was stolen by the white man. Eventually, after his pilgrimage to Mecca, he realized not all white people were bad stating "(I met) blonde-haireed, blue-eyed brothers I could call my brothers."He then began to campaign for Human Rights and did so until his death in 1965. Malcolm X's human rights teachings angered those in the Nation of Islam and they had him assassinated. Now Malcolm is remembered as a great civil rights activist and has been the subject of numerous documentaries and books.
Allies:
Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil Rights Advocate
Muhammad Ali: Member of Nation of Islam Stokely Carmichael: Black Panther
Born: May 19, 1925
Died: February 25, 1965
Black Civil Rights/Human Rights
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was an avid supporter of Black Nationalism and Marcus Garvey. He was murdered supposedly by the KKK and soon after Malcolm's mother went crazy and he was placed in the foster care system. In school he was told his dream of becoming a lawyer was "not a realistic goal for a ni**er" .He dropped out of school and began working odd jobs between Boston and New York. Eventually, he began commiting small crimes and went to jail where he learned about Islam. After getting out of jail, he began to follow the teachings of Elijah Muhammad who said that the white people were trying to keep the blacks from having economic or political success. He changed his lastname to "X" to shed the name his family was given as slaves and chose "X" to show how his real lastname was stolen by the white man. Eventually, after his pilgrimage to Mecca, he realized not all white people were bad stating "(I met) blonde-haireed, blue-eyed brothers I could call my brothers."He then began to campaign for Human Rights and did so until his death in 1965. Malcolm X's human rights teachings angered those in the Nation of Islam and they had him assassinated. Now Malcolm is remembered as a great civil rights activist and has been the subject of numerous documentaries and books.
Allies:
Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil Rights Advocate
Muhammad Ali: Member of Nation of Islam
Stokely Carmichael: Black Panther
Biography
"Biography of Malcolm X." Africa Within. Africa Within, n.d. Web. 9 Jan 2011. <http://www.africawithin.com/malcolmx/malcolm_bio.htm>.
"Biography of Malcolm X." biographyshelf.com. Biography Shelf, 2008. Web. 9 Jan 2011.
<http://www.biographyshelf.com/malcolm_x_biography.html>